Union beats Hermes in court - Gig economy screwed

[Tommy Tainant]

Hermes to offer gig economy drivers better rights under union deal

The courier company Hermes is to offer drivers guaranteed minimum wages and holiday pay in the first UK deal to provide trade union recognition for gig economy workers.

Under the agreement with the GMB union, Hermes’ 15,000 drivers will continue to be self-employed but can opt into contracts with better rights.

The deal comes after almost 200 Hermes couriers won the right to be recognised as “workers” at an employment tribunal last summer in a case backed by the GMB.

Under employment law, “workers” are guaranteed rights including holiday pay, the legal minimum wage, minimum rest breaks and protection against unlawful discrimination. Similar cases have been brought against Uber, Addison Lee, CitySprint, Excel and eCourier.

They will all fall into line with this.Self employed status is a big con in so many instances.

 

[Olde Europe]

They will all fall into line with this.

Darn if I knew, but I doubt that's what is going to happen.

Ah, the Guardian:

Hermes’ 15,000 drivers will continue to be self-employed but can opt into contracts with better rights.​

Sets my teeth on edge.

Really to solve that once and for all, or so I understand, the law needs to be changed, but, as usual, Ms. May is quite big on grandiose announcements, while implementation is typically lacking:

In February Theresa May announced a number of new labour policies that she said would help uphold workers’ rights, in response to a Downing Street-commissioned review which called on the government to improve the quality of work for people on low pay.

However, to the disappointment of workers, trade unions and Labour, the government only pledged to consult on possible changes to the use of self-employment, which may not include changing the law.​

 

[Tommy Tainant]

They will all fall into line with this.

Darn if I knew, but I doubt that's what is going to happen.

Ah, the Guardian:

Hermes’ 15,000 drivers will continue to be self-employed but can opt into contracts with better rights.​

Sets my teeth on edge.

Really to solve that once and for all, or so I understand, the law needs to be changed, but, as usual, Ms. May is quite big on grandiose announcements, while implementation is typically lacking:

In February Theresa May announced a number of new labour policies that she said would help uphold workers’ rights, in response to a Downing Street-commissioned review which called on the government to improve the quality of work for people on low pay.

However, to the disappointment of workers, trade unions and Labour, the government only pledged to consult on possible changes to the use of self-employment, which may not include changing the law.​

We will be in our graves before the tories do anything to upset the corporate pay masters.
But my reading is that the laws are already there and the court has interpreted them. This will be cited as a precedent in future cases. Hermes have accepted it and are not appealing so it is on to the next one.

A lot of these shitty firms have a business model which relies on exploiting their workers. People are squeezed by the govt to accept these jobs or starve.Its taken the courts ,and unions, to introduce fairness.

 

[Olde Europe]

We will be in our graves before the tories do anything to upset the corporate pay masters.
But my reading is that the laws are already there and the court has interpreted them. This will be cited as a precedent in future cases. Hermes have accepted it and are not appealing so it is on to the next one.

A lot of these shitty firms have a business model which relies on exploiting their workers. People are squeezed by the govt to accept these jobs or starve.Its taken the courts ,and unions, to introduce fairness.

I agree with most of the above. The situation is probably way more complex than any of us, or the Guardian scribblers, understand. Still...

However, to the disappointment of workers, trade unions and Labour, the government only pledged to consult on possible changes to the use of self-employment, which may not include changing the law.​

... I quoted the above before to indicate that, for the situation to improve markedly, there appears to be a need to change the law, on top of improving the implementation of the laws currently on the books. And yes, I don't expect to see the Tories anywhere near the forefront of these efforts.

 

[Tommy Tainant]

A specific law would help. I think the line needs to be drawn where the "self employed" title is obviously an artifice.